Glove holding, stretching, and shaping device.



M. M. GILLAM.

GLOVE HOLDING, STRETCHING, AND SHAPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJZ, I916- Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

nu. NnHRls rungs co Prwmuma. WASHINGTON. n c.

MANLY M. GILLAIVI, OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK.

GLOVE HOLDING, STRETCI-IING, AND SHAPING DEVICE.

/ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, T917.

0 Application filed August 12, 1916. Serial No. 114,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ll IANLY M. GILLAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flushing, in the county of Queens, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Glove Holding, Stretching, and Shaping Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in glove holding, stretching and shaping devices by which the glove may beheld at the will of the operator in the desired position for restoring normal shape, stretching, cleaning, drying, dyeing, decorating, or other treatment, without danger of shrinking or of distortion, and without injury.

I am aware that various means have been tried for holding, stretching and shaping gloves, but where at all satisfactory or practically effective in operation the cost, frailty, cumbersomeness, limited application or insufficiency of the arrangement has been such as to prohibit its general use.

The need for a light, simple, compact, effective, adaptable and low cost device of this nature, particularly for use in connection with the cleaning and drying of fabric, chamois or similar gloves, including all of the so called wash gloves, is recognized by glove users everywhere.

With my invention I accomplish the desired result by means of a skeleton form preferably of wire, so shaped, balanced, proportioned and reinforced by springs, preferably integral, as to bring a pressure to the various parts of the glove designed to restore and maintain its normal shape,

acting on each finger and on the thumb of each hand individually and on the part designed to cover the body of the hand, the wrist and any desired part of the arm as well, and I arrange that there may be stretching pressure longitudinally as well as laterally. I

Although there are other materials from which my device can satisfactorily be made I prefer wire because, when properly tempered, its resiliency tends to cause it to maintain the predetermined outline, it is easy to'manipulate, durable and of relatively light weight, and susceptible of treatment that makes it rust proof. When made in shape to properly fit a laterally normally stretched glove of standard large size a form constructed on my plan adjusts itself automatically to other gloves of smaller size, so far as lateral pressure is concerned, because of the resiliently yielding nature of the wire and of the various spring influences brought to bear.

In properly holding a glove to be dried after cleaning the stretching pressure should be no more than enough to hold the glove to normal shape, it is therefore important that any device to be used for this purpose shall be so constructed as not to give excessive pressure. I accomplish the desired result in my device by reason of the natural resiliency of the material used in the skeleton form and the nature of the relatively long spring supports provided in it. The action of the spring effects I introduce into various parts of the device is to so reinforce the resiliency of the wire in giving resistance to lateral pressure as to permit the satisfactory use of a smaller gage of wire than would otherwise be required.

The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1, is a view of my device as made of wire showing its lateral and longitudinal aspects with either the palmar or the opposite surface presented to the eye.

Fig. 2, is a view of a modified form of my device Without terminal digital springs, with elongated eyes or loops for the attachment of certain springs, with a flattened and perforated section on the posterior part of each outside member of the device for holding the glove in a position of longitudinal tension and with a hoop or coil spring as part of the posterior portion.

Fig. 3, is a view of an extension attachment to be joined with the device posteriorly to give the additional holding and shaping surface'required by the arm of a long glove.

Fig. 4, is a detail of the means for attaching one member of the extension attachment, Fig. 3, to one member of the posterior part of the skeleton form, a.

Referring to the drawings, 0-, represents the device as made of wire, shaped to receive each digital member, the body of the hand part and the wrist and forearm portion of the glove, a represents a coil spring at the anterior extremity of each digital form to give greater rigidity to those parts of the device and to add to thelr yielding resistance under pressure, a represents a base of the bow springs, a which said bow springs under inward lateral pressure exert a torsional force as well as the force of direct resistance; it represents eyes or loops in the outer form of the device for the attachment of the bow springs a; a represents'attachment point or eye for one member of the thumb form; a represents attachment points 'or eyes in the posterior part of the exterior outline of the device for holding the glove by pin, tie, needle and thread stitch or otherwise; a" represents V springs to give added resistance to pressure against the sides of the posterior portion ofthe device; a represents an eye or loop centrally located in the posterior portion of the device which may serve not only as an'attachment point for the longitudinal stretching of the glove but for hanging the device on a support; a represents an elongated eye or loop at the point of con tact of each of the bow springs, a with the outer part of the device so that under pressure exerted on said outer part the said spring ends can freely move; a represents a flattened and perforated section of the posterior part of the outside portion of the device to afford pointsof attachment for stretching and holding the glove longitudinally; a represents ahoop or coil spring being one of the various forms that can be used in place of the V springs, 07, the overlapping arms of said hoop or coil spring being easily made to take a shape, a", that provides a means for hanging the device on a support; a represents a coil or circle spring at'the posterior extremity of the extension attachment, Fig. 3, which said exte'nsion attachment when its free ends, a,

are passed through the eyes or loops, at,

.with which the outside members of the device, Fig. 1, is posteriorly fitted may be pushed forward until the notches or offsets,

'e fl'engage the said eyes or loops in which position the hooked extremities, a, of the said extension attachment can be easily made to engage two of the eyes or loops in the outside members of the device. If the eyes or loops so engaged are at least the second from the posterior termination of each outside member of the device the said engagement can only be made by upward pressure of the members of the extenslon attachment against the projecting bodies of intermediate eyes or loops, a and the hooks,

a, must be sprung into place thus insuring the needed rigidity of construction between'the device and its said attachments.

In practical operation the action of my device as hereinbefore described is as follows: The fingers of the glove to be cleaned, dried, stretched, dyed, decorated or otherwise operated upon are slipped over the wire digital forms and the other parts of the glove drawn posteriorly into place, the yielding skeleton outline of the device and the nature of the various springs supporting it causing 1 sample of the device would be effective.

Should it be desired to stretch the glove longitudinally as well as laterally the eyes or loops, a, are adapted to receive the pin, stitch of thread, or the tie needed to accomplish that result. In case that the length of the glove is so great as to cause the arm part to extend posteriorly beyond the device I use the extension attachment, Fig. 3, attaching it as hereinbefore described. When its purpose is served the extension attachment may be easily and quickly detached. This gives to the device stretching and shaping availability for any desired length of glove without permanent inconvenient size or cumbersomeness. A right hand or a left hand glove may be treated on a single specimen of my device since the thumb form may easily be sprung to pass operatively to either surface of the skeleton outline at the will of the operator thus making the palmar aspect of the device either right or left as desired. In practice it is usually desirable to treat both gloves of a pair at the same time therefore my practice is to provide the device in couples linked or tied together in any preferred way, the projecting eye or loop, a permitting of the said linking or tying and providing a convenient means for hanging the device on any desired support.

Having thus described the nature-and object of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a glove holding, stretching and'shaping device a skeleton form of resilient ma terial, shaped to resemble the outline of a flattened glove, and by means of integral springs acting in addition to the resiliency of the said skeleton form adapted to give yielding pressure in lateral directions to the various parts of a glove, with means for supportingthe wrist and arm of a glove in a normally flattened position, the entire device beingdesigned to produce and maintain in a glove its normal flattened shape throughout while being dried or operated upon in any way, substantially as and for the 'purposes described.

2. In a glove'holding, stretching and shaping device a skeleton form of resilient material with integral elastic or spring elements in the finger and thumb portions, in the palmar portion and in the Wrist portion additional to the resiliency of said skeleton form, the combined effect being to give lateral pressure to all parts of a glove, with means for maintaining longitudinal shaping support at the same time and With means for extending the holding and shaping surface of said device posteriorly, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a glove holding, stretching and shaping device a skeleton form of resilient material adapted to engage at the same time the various parts of a glove and exert lateral pressure on them; a coil spring at the anterior extremity of each finger form and of the thumb form, bow springs medially placed and so attached that under external pressure torsional resistance is developed in them, one

lift

or more V springs at the posterior extremity of said skeleton form, the said various springs adding to the resistance force of the said skeleton form When submitted to lateral pressure from the outside, means for maintaining longitudinal shaping support of the Wrist and arm of said glove and means for extending posteriorly the glove holding and shaping area of the said skeleton form, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of the two sub- 30 scribing Witnesses.

MANLY M. GILLAM.

Witnesses MORITZ WEIL, BESSIE NATKINS.

Uopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing .the "Commissioner of Patentni. Washington, I). G. 

